A typical vehicle heating system includes a heater core through which hot coolant from the vehicle's engine circulates to heat the core. Air is blown through fins of the core, which heats the air. The heated air is then expelled into the passenger compartment of the vehicle to provide heating.
Heater cores can deteriorate over time and require replacement. Deterioration can be caused at least in part by high pressure and high volume flows of coolant through the core. High flows, for example, can exacerbate abrasion of interior tubing of the core by particles entrained in the flows, and can cause cavitation damage particularly at bends in the tubing where cavitation can occur. There exists a need to regulate the flow of coolant through vehicle heater cores to reduce deterioration and thus expand the lives of the cores. It is to the satisfaction of this need that the present disclosure is primarily directed.